The egg sandwich is my fav breakfast. It may not be the most delicious, but when everything is factored, The Egg Sandwich is #1.
Today I am going to, step by step, tell you how to make THE perfect egg sandwich! But first, a little history and understanding of my love for this morning delight. It could get long so feel free to just skip down to said instructions if you so desire to skip my trip down memory lane. :)
Most of the love stems from my mother. See my dad was always the main cook in my household, but when I was in high school and going a million miles an hour at all times, some mornings my mom would make me an egg sandwich, wrap it up in tin foil to keep it warm and put it in my hand as I was rushing out the door. The thing I remember most dearly about this though was how, before she would make one, she would come and knock on my door or catch me in the hallway as I was rushing to get ready for the day and match my movement speed with her talking speed and quickly ask with anticipation, "Can I make you an egg sandwich to go?!" I think she got so much joy from this because she was a corporate business women from the time I entered pre-school and didn't get many opportunities to do quote, un-quote "motherly" things for me. (did I need to use the quotes since I said quote, unquote...?)
Anyway, I quickly found myself making my own egg sandwiches from time to time when she went to work early. I could never get them to taste quite as good as hers, but I still loved the act of eating that egg sand wrapped in tinfoil as I *sped to school or early morning dance or wherever I was headed.
*let it be known to all that I do not condone eating egg sandwiches while driving, nor do I condone speeding! I have also only received 2 speeding tickets my entire 12 yrs of driving.
Even after high school if there were a few months I was back at home mom would sometimes ask me if she could make me an egg sandwich with that same anticipation and giddy smile. This even happened at times just before K & I got married. I was living in my grandparents basement in Orem and because my parents live clear down in Salem, but work in Provo/Orem they would often sleep at the G-parents too. I think as I get older she finds more and more joy making these sandwiches for me. (Don't tell her, but I love it too and not just because they're so delicious!)
Enough reminiscing, let's get to the food directions! These are not my mother's instructions. These come from years of becoming more and more obsessed, nay enthusiastic about egg sands. Also this isn't necessarily a recipe, but more so directions on construction of said egg sandwich. I'll include the recipe steps and how I cook my eggs, but the construction is what I want you to focus on.
Here weeeee GO!
First: the correct ingredients and kitchen essentials
• Small pan
Small amount of eggs, small pan. It just works best.
• Toaster on low/med
Toasters are all so very different. Basically you want your bread just slightly browned.
• 2-3 Eggs -
2 for just the sandwich, 3 if you want extra eggs on the side. I'm not too picky on the brand of eggs, but I like to use large eggs
• Cracked Pepper -
To taste. I like just a few twists of the pepper cracker
• 1 of 3 seasonings: Italian seasoning, Seasoning Salt, OR garlic salt -
All are also to taste, however, do NOT use all 3 or even 2 of the three. Only ONE! It throws off the entire taste. I mean it.
• 2 TBSP Water
This is one I haven't played with. My mom did it so I do it. End of story. I just turn the tap on medium strength and use 1 full seconds worth of water and guess that this is about 2 TBSPs.
• Mild cheddar (not pictured) -
This is the one ingredient I don't always use simply because sometimes I'm not in the mood for cheese. Also I like grated, but I'm sure sliced would do the cheese job required when using it... You'll get what I mean by that soon enough.
• 12 grain Wheat Bread -
I am slightly picky on the bread I use. It has to have the perfect strength to hold the egg&cheese after being toasted and buttered. Then it has to have the right texture to provide the perfect crunch in contrast to the smooth egg. Yes, I'm serious! There are a few brands I've found to work nicely and the Country Oven picture above is one of them. (Plus Smiths has this bread on sale often which is of course awesome!)
• Brummell & Brown butter -
Again, I'm very specific about my butter. The taste of this yogurt whipped butter makes a huge difference!
• Paper towel -
The bread MUST be toasted flat and crumbs on the counter drive me mad no matter how easy they are to clean up.
• Plate -
It may seem obvious, but the plate plays an all important roll of catching egg that may fall from the sandwich so you can still eat them. It also catches said pesky bread crumbs.
Ok, let's get to making and constructing this sucker!
•Heat pan just below Med
•Oil or spray pan when heated up
•Eggs, water, pepper, & seasoning go in a cup and get whipped with a fork
•Pour egg mixture in heated, oiled pan
•Get bread, butter, & knife ready. Yes, this is a very important part or I wouldn't be saying it. Ever tried to butter cooled down bread? It would RUIN this sandwich. The two slices need to be ready in the toaster but not yet toasting, butter lid off and a long scoop of Brummell & Brown already on the knife. Just do it, ok?
• By this time the eggs are starting to get hard enough on the bottom to flip over or scramble. I like a mixture of scrambled then ending them solid so they sit together in the sandwich without continuously falling out and having to reconstruct the sandwich as I'm eating it. To get this perfection I slightly chop them into strips when they are still a bit soggy on top but done on bottom, then flip the whole egg mixture over in one quick motion. Because the sogginess that was on top is now on bottom, they finish as a solid egg scramble. Get it? I don't blame you if you don't. It's really difficult for me to try to explain without pics... Hmmm, maybe a perfect solid egg scramble tutorial is in order. Later! We have a sandwich to construct here!
•Here is where you add cheese if desired. I sprinkle enough on top of the eggs to mostly cover them but so you can still see egg. At this point your eggs are almost done and essentially just cooking through and melting cheese head (I call the cheese on top cheese head. Get excited because "Cheesy bum" is to come!)
Solid Scramble with Cheese Head
• Now the bread is a GO! for toasting then buttering! Push that little toaster button down with vigor make sure your napkin, butter and buttered knife is ready.
• If you're using cheese get that ready too. Cheesy bum is coming up!
• AS SOON as the bread pops up in the toaster have buttered knife in hand, take only ONE piece, aka bread slice 1, out of the toaster. Lay that sucker on the paper towel and butter her up!
(THIS WILL BE THE PIECE YOU PUT ON TOP OF THE EGG)
When you are spreading anything on bread I am a firm believer in covering every inch of flat surface. I am also a firm believer that you don't need more than just enough to cover the bread. So as soon as you cover the surface of the first piece of bread run the knife back across top of the bread to wipe off excess butter. This should only take you 3-5 seconds and should be done in no more than 5 knife strokes. Don't roll your eyes at me! I'm serious.
• Bread slice 2 is then taken out of the toaster and is buttered the same way as bread slice 1.
• Bread slice 2 is put on the plate then sprinkle a little cheese all over the bread equally. Don't miss the edges. This is Cheesy Bum! ;)
• Eggs should be completely done and not too hard at all at this point. If you used 2 eggs you can simple scoop the entire cooked solid egg scramble up an slide it off the spatula onto cheesy bottom of bread slice 2.
If you used 3 eggs cut solid scramble with spatula in the shape of your bread slice and repeat the motion of sliding that section of cheese head egg on cheesy bum. (Eat excess egg scramble at will.)
• Lay bread slice 1 on top of solid egg scramble aka cheese head.
• Now because the butter has melted in both bread slices, but bread slice 2 has had solid egg scramble moisture softening it slightly I like to flip my entire completed egg sandwich over so now cheese head is on bottom and cheesy bum is on top! I do this even if I didn't use cheese.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now time for you to devour your PERFECT egg sandwich! And if you made it to the end of this amazingly descriptive post, you deserve a reward.
Oooh, oooh, I know! Come to my house and I will make you the PERFECT EGG SANDWICH!
Hummer sitting right in my line of vision acting as if he's been starved so I'll share
Silly HumBum. Perfection is for Chellors.
